Most folks would not respond to such email or notification until they know if the school (PSU) is providing any aid. That notification is scheduled to start going out in mid-February. So we’re looking at 3/1 at the earliest for folks to graciously decline offers - if they even do so.
@spqr70nj good point!! I forgot about waiting for financial aid offers
That’s our plan for the acceptances we have received too
Thx 
guys, I don’t think just because you’ve been deferred (ie. they ran out of time), doesn’t mean you are going straight to waitlist. As much as they say waitlist is an option, it may or may not be… as I posted yesterday, it has been less than 50% in the past few years. I know we haven’t seen a bunch of decisions roll out in the last few days - I will just throw a scenario at you and see if that might make sense?
What if admissions is loading all of the applications into their spreadsheet/database and they are trying to figure out “where the line” is … they may be trying to get as much aggregate data as possible to make decisions. (and maybe those high stats kids didn’t hear right away is because their regional AO had a computer problem, or a SAT score got submitted late, or something didn’t match up in the system and they have to manually input it, or a specific major is more competitive or trying to become smaller…)
Here are some factors/assumptions they have to consider:
- major (differing standards by major)
- diversity (geographical, ethnic, gender, etc etc)
- yield (how does common app and EA play into this?)
- commonwealth campuses (where is the line drawn for each campus?)
So, the decision tree is complex. As easy as it is to jump straight to “Because my kid didn’t hear within 6 weeks of submitting their application, Penn State admissions is screwed up, therefore the entire school is screwed up” … don’t make that jump. While I would hope that Admissions recognizes they are the “30 second first impression” of a school, once you are admitted and enroll, you never deal with them again. Posting 10x/day doesn’t make them make their decision any faster, it just ramps up the anxiety. Hopefully, everyone will hear the answer they want… end up at the school that is for them… and in a year from now, this will just be a blip in your memory.
@ziveli513 My D was admitted to CAS in November, and I’ve really considered telling her to “set PSU free” as it’s not her 1st choice and so many seem to be waiting anxiously.
But … I know from S14 that things change Winter/Spring of Senior so I’m keeping my mouth shut for a little while longer. I’m sure others feel the same way.
FWIW she is solidly in the middle of PSU stats so she didn’t get in as a superstar. If it’s any consolation, based on South Carolina board, PSU is not only the only place that EA has been an unexpected hot mess.
Best wishes to all! I promise to remind my D to notify schools as soon as she commits.
@houndmom very considerate, thank you for sharing !
@lucyvanpelt posting 10x per day alleviates anxiety for many, as many have expressed in this thread ?
And many here have been waiting under review since 8/15, well past “six weeks”
you do make good points as to the complexity of the decisions made by admissions
Thanks for the info, it is very helpful to remember the bigger picture
@ziveli513 No college is going to send an email asking admitted students to decline their offers before May 1 so others in the waitlist can get in. That’s absurd.
@allieandjoe Although on Rutgers’ status page they do have a link to decline the offer so it appears adjacent to the offer notice.
@allieandjoe thank you Seems the waiting has made me slightly addled
@spqr70nj ?
@spqr70nj Lots of schools have an accept or decline option but that’s different than admissions sending out a blatant email asking you to decline before the deadline due to waitlists.
@allieandjoe Agreed! I wouldn’t expect schools to send one, nor an individual to respond to one.
who knows what they are doing and how it will all play out
All we can do is wait and wait
Although students can accept or refuse offers at any point after getting them, colleges are legally barred from requiring a commitment or a refusal from students before May 1.
Fingers crossed for everyone. It does seem much worse this year than previously (when it already wasn’t all that smooth).
@MYOS1634 My son is telling me this all started with the June 2018 SAT. ? So he’s not surprised. Lol
@MYOS1634 thanks For shedding light as always
@MYOS1634 So not just to MYOS but to some others who said they would have to put down a housing deposit elsewhere (and I hadn’t even thought of that)… Isn’t requiring a housing deposit well before May 1 kind of like a (sneaky?) way of getting an indication before May 1? So this made me check the one U my S has already been accepted to and they don’t require anything for housing until May 1, which somehow seems more “right” to me.
Housing deposits made before may 1 are supposedly refundable in rder to avoid using housing as a workaround to the May 1st requirement.
It’s not sneaky, it’s securing a spot. Some schools offer the refundable deposits @MyaCocoa I’m encouraging him to do that way before the May 1st deadline because some schools housing fills up real fast leaving students with what’s left. Since he was admitted to an engineering program and Honors College at another school (with significant scholarship), he would be eligible for preferential housing selection in a great freshmen honors hall. Worst case scenario if PSU comes through he could always ask for the deposit back. Schools will always be willing to take your deposit, but they won’t refund it.
@MYOS1634 Supposedly refundable? That sounds scary!
spqr70nj Maybe sneaky wasn’t the right word. I get that housing fills up and that it is super important. I guess I meant that if you ask for a deposit (and then won’t refund it) you are kind of locking in a kid who technically isn’t supposed to have been “forced” to commit until May 1. Only kids who can potentially afford to lose a deposit (and honestly I don’t know how much those are) can change schools after - IF the school doesn’t promise to refund. I am SO liking the sound of the other school who accepted your son! I am more and more liking the U who admitted my son already. I got an e-mail that they received our FAFSA which we filed late. No sign of the same receipt on PSU’s portal. One poster said not to let this little mess taint us on PSU overall, but I kind of like that the other U has all it’s ducks in a row right away. I dunno. Ultimately it’s up to my son. I’ll only point out my impressions as we move along.
@MyaCocoa I agree with you 100%. That other school I mentioned consistently sends emails and regular correspondence on a weekly basis. They even sent a hand-written note from an upper classman within the same engineering major as my son was admitted and a postcard for his upcoming birthday. That said, he can wait out PSU but I would like to avoid the last minute scrambles if things don’t work out. The other schools he’s waiting to hear from won’t have decisions until late March and early April which I’m praying he gets denied or passes on (with a PSU acceptance). Lol